Pneumatic gun-carriage



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-8heet 1. H. A. SPILL-ER.

PNEUMATIC GUN GARMAGE. No. 339,589. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. A. SPILLER.

PNEUMATIC GUN CARRIAGE.

No. 339,589. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

INVENTOR liar v4]. flttorney (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Slieet 3.

H. A. SPILLER.

PNEUMATIC GUN GARRIAGE.

No. 339,589. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

restraining such recoil, its

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. SPILLER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PNEUMATIC G UN CARRIAGE (30., OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

PNEUMATIC GUN-CARRIAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 339,589. dated April 6, 1886.

Application filed January 20, 1886. Serial No. 190,190. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY A. SPILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Gun-Carriages; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to gun-carriages designed for the manipulation of heavy guns.

The object of the invention isto improve the construction of a gun-carriage in which the difl'erent movements of the carriage and the gun are etfected by means of aeriform fluid under pressure applied through the me dium of cylinders, the piston-rods of which are suitably connected to movable parts of the gun-carriage or to the gun.

To these ends the invention consists, essentially, in the combination,with a'gun-carriage and gun, of a cylinder or cylinders of novel construction mounted upon the carriage,hav-

ing their piston-rods connected to the gun in such manner that the movement back and forth of the piston-rods will move the gun back and forth on its slides, for the purpose of running it out or to battery, and in for the purpose of loading, the said cylinder'or cylinders being provided with ports at each end to allow the introduction or escape ofcompressed fluid, according to the direction in which the piston is to be moved, the cylinder or cylinders being also provided with means whereby a quantity of compressed air is held in the cylinder in such manner as to form a cushion, against which the force of the recoil is exerted, and having connected therewith means whereby the escape of the fluid is allowed when, having been compressed by the recoil of the gun and performed its office in elasticity begins to throw the carriage forward.

Furthermore, the invention consists in the combination,with a gun and gun-carriage, of two approximately horizontal cylinders placed one on each side of the gun, connected to the same by suitable intermediate mechanism by Which the reciprocatory motion of their pistons isconverted into an approximately vertical movement of that portion of the gun to which they are connected, the said cylinders being provided with inlet' and outlet ports at each end for the admission and escape of compressed fluid, whereby the gun may be raised and lowered by admitting air upon different sides of the pistons.

Furthermore, the invention consists in the combination with a gun and gun-carriage, of a traversing device consisting of two cylinders provided with ports for the inlet and outlet of compressed fluid above and below their pistons, the'said pistons being both connected to a crank upon the shaft of a wheel, which serves to support the rear end of a carriage, and situated at unequal distances therefrom; and, finally, the invention consists in various novel details of construction, whereby the objects are attained and the general effectiveness of the device is insured.

I have illustrated the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which the same letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved carriage. Fig. 2 is a side elevation avith a portion of the side of the lower portion removed to show the internal disposition of parts. Fig. 3 isa rear view of the gun-carriage, showing the device for regulating the admission of compressed fluid to traverse the gun. Fig. 4 isa detailed view of the valves by which the admission of compressed fluid to the cylinders for accomplishing the traversing of the gun and the escape therefrom is regulated. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the carriage, the outline of the gun being shown in dotted lines. I

In the drawings, A represents the main portion of the frame of the carriage, the sides A of which are preferably made thick and strong and project upward asul'fieient distance to protect the interior and working parts of the device. Mounted upon this lower portion of the frame are the cylinders B and B, provided with pistons G, the rods 0 of which are connected to the checks D of the gun. These cylinders are provided with the forward ports, 13*, and the rear ports, B, through which the compressed fluid is introduced or ICO allowed to escape, according to the directien in which the rod is tobe moved. The pistonrod being connected to the cheeks of the gun, the compressed fluid which is utilized to run the gun out or to battery, and which is confined between the rear side of the piston and the end of the cylinder, is compressed when the gun recoils, and this body of compressed fluid forms a cushion for taking up the force of the recoil and preventing severeshocks'to the gun-and gun-carriage. If no means were provided to allow the escape of this compressed fluidfafter the recoil of the gun, the latter would be thrown forward as soon asthe force of the recoil had been expended, and thereforein order to prevent this and at the same time retain the cushion, I provide a device, now to be described, for checking the counter-recoil. This consists of the supply-pipe E, which extends along the carriage beneath the gun from the front of the carriage rearward to a fourway cock, F, by which it is connected with the pipes G and H, provided with the branch pipes g g and h h, leading, respectively, to the front and rear ports ofthe cylinders. As the gun approaches the limit of its backward movement in recoiling, compressed air is ad.- mitted upon the front side of the pistons in the cylinders B, thus preventing forward motion of the gun caused by the elasticity of the air which is compressed in the rear end of the cylinder, and then the compressed air in the rear end of the cylinder is allowed to escape, permitting the gun to be forced back against the rear buffers by the compressed air, which is admitted into the front end of the cylinder.

The four-way cock is operated by means of a'rod, I, which extends to a eonvenientpoint outside the casing, where it is provided with a'lever, J, by which the cock may be turned to admit compressed fluid to the front or rear of the cylinders, as desired, the lever being so connected to the cock that when it is elevated the cock is turned to admit fluid to the front ends of the cylinders, and when it is depressed the cock is turned to admit fluid to the rear ends of the cylinders.

In order that the admission of air to the front ends of the cylinders and its release from the rear ends thereof may be accomplished automatically, Iprovide the device now to be described. This consists of aslide, d, attached to the side of one of the cheeks D of the gun,

in which slide are placed the adjustable stops at and d, which stops are respectively engaged by the upper ends of the levers K and L. The bell-crank lever K is pivoted to the side of the frame, of the carriage in such position that the spring-seated extension k will be. struck by the projection d, as the carriage moves back to the appropriate point for the admisof air in front of the pistons. When the lever is moved backward by coming in contact with the projection from the frame, its rectangular portion is is moved downward, and this motion being imparted to the lever K, the fourway cock is moved to admit air to the front of the piston. .As the carriage completes its backward movement, the lever L, which is connected by means of a rod, 1, with an escapevalve, L, connected with the rear ends of the cylinders, comes in contact with the stop d,-

thus opening the escape-valve, and allowing the gun to be moved back and retained in position against the rear buffers. It will of course be understood that the gun is run in and out at will by turning the hand-lever J, to admit air on the proper side of the pistons.-

The elevating and depressing of the breech of the gun is efl'ected by means of the horizontal cylinders M, one of which is placed upon each side of the gun. these cylinders are provided at their outer ends with racks M which engage with a pinion, M, mounted upon the inside of the cheek of the gun.

N N represent racks, one of which is placed upon each side of the gun and attached thereto at their upper ends, their lower ends engaging with the pinions M, mounted in the cheeks. Thus it will be seen that a reciprocating motion of the piston-rods M will be converted by the means just described into an approximately vertical movement of the breech of the gun. Each of the cylinders M is provided with ports near each end for the admission and discharge ofcompressed fluid, according to the direction in-which the rod is to be moved.

The traversing of the gun is effected by means of an engine consisting of the two oscillating cylinders O and O, placed at the rear end of the carriage. The piston-rods of each of these cylinders are connected to a crank, O, on a shaft, P, mounted in suitable brackets at the rear of the carriage. mounted at unequal distances from the crank upon the shaft P, and at such an angle that there is no dead-center. Each of the cylinders is provided near its end with inlet and outlet ports for the admissionor escape of compressed fluid, by means of which the pistons aremoved.

The fluid is supplied to the respective ports of each cylinder through a suitable supplypipe,which communicates with the valve Q.

(Shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.) These" valves consist of the disks R, composed of the hollow portion S, into which the fluid is received from the supply-pipe, and the portion T, which has openings to admit the air either The piston-rods M of j from the hollow portion S into a port of the cylinder or to allow the escape of the fluid from either end of the cylinder. To effect this, each portion T of the valves is provided with a series of passages, which extend directly through the side portion and communicate with the air-supplyand ports of the cylinders, and with another series which communicate with the ports of the cylinders and the outer air, a single passage of each series only being shown in the drawings. These different openings are placed side by side, and so by turning the valve an appropriate distance either of the passages is made to register with the ports of the cylinder, and the admission of tluid to move the piston or the escape of the same is permitted.

Jn order that the admission and escape of air to the two" pistons may be accomplished simultaneously, I provide the valves upon their periphery with a series of teeth, as shown in Fig. 2;, and l mount upon the rear frame of the carriage a lever, l provided at its lower end with a circular plate so constructed as to engage with these teeth. By the movement back and forth of this lever the admission and escape of the compressed fluid is regulated. The motion of the shaft 1 is communicated to the carriage by means of a cog-wheel placed upon the end of said shaft and meshing with a corresponding cog connected to the wheel, which aids in supporting the rear end of the carriage. By the revolution of the shaft P the supporting-wheel is turned,and' the carriage is traversed.

I do not wish to be understood as laying claim, broadly, to a gun-carriage operated solely by aeriform pressure, that being the invention of James A. Powlett.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and ters Patent, is-

1. As a means for operating guns, a cylinder or cylinders having the piston rod connected to thesliding portion of a gun-carriage, provided with suitable ports for the inlet and utlet of compressed air, and with an escape valve operated by contact with a moving portion of the carriage upon the recoil of the gun, substantially as described.

2. As a means for operating guns, a cylinder or cylinders mounted upon the stationary portion of a guu carriage and having their piston-rods connected to the sliding portion thereof, the said cylinders being provided with inlet and outlet ports'and an escape i valve, an operating rod connected to the es cape-valve, and a project-ion on the sliding portion of the carriage, whereby the operating-rod is struck and the compressed air allowed to escape, substantially as described.

3. As a means for operating guns, a cylinder or cylinders mounted upon the base of a gun-carriage, having their pistourods connected to the sliding portion of the carriage, the said cylinder being provided wit-h inlet and outlet ports and an escape-valve, an operating-rod connected to the i-scapevalve and to a lever mounted upon the base of the carriage, and a projection from the sliding portion coming in contact with the lever, substantially as described.

4. As a means for operating guns, a cylinder or cylinders mounted upon the base of the carriage, having their piston-rods connected to the sliding portion thereof provided with inlet and outlet ports, asupplypipe connected by branch pipes to the cylinder, a four-way cock placed at the juncture ofthe supply-pipe desire to secure by Letand branch pipes and connected with an op crating-lever, a lever connected thereto and mounted upon the base of the carriage, and a projection from the sliding portion of the carriage for operating the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with the operatingcylinder of a gun-carriage, provided with an escape-valve and suitable supply-pipes, of the sliding portion of the carriage provided with two projections and two levers mounted upon the base of the carriage and in line of movement of said projections, and connected, re spectively, to the cock governing the inlet of air to the cylinders and the escape-valves, substantially as described.

6. As a means for operating guns, :1 cylinder or cylinders mounted upon the base of a gun-carriage, having their piston-rods connected to the sliding portion thereof, the said cylinders being provided with inlet and outlet ports and an escape-valve, a supply-pipe c0nneeted by branch pipes to the cylinders and provided with a four-way cock connected to an operating-lever, a lever mounted upon the base of the carriage, connected to the operatinglever operated by a projection upon the sliding portion of the carriage, an operatingrod connected to the eseape-valve and connected to a lever mounted upon the base of the carriage, and a second projection from the sliding portion of the carriage, whereby upon the recoil of the gun air is admitted upon the front portion of the piston, and then the compressed air in rear there is allowed to escape, substantially as described.

7. As a means of elevating and depressing the breech of a gun, one or more approximately horizontal cylinders provided with inlet and outlet ports and mounted upon the sliding portion of the carriage, their pistons, a depending arm or arms connected to the breech of a gun, and mechanism between such pistons and such arm or arms for converting the horizontal motion of the pistons into a vertical motion of the breech of the gun, substantially as described.

8. As a means for elevating and depressing the breechof a gun, one or more approximately horizontal cylinders mounted upon the cheeks of the carriage, having their pistonrods provided with a rack, a toothed bar or bars connected to the gun and set at an angle to the piston-rods, and apinion meshing with the piston-rods and the bars, whereby a horizontal movement of the pistons is converted into an approximately vertical movement of the breech of the gun.

In testimony whereof Ial'fix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY A. SPILLER.

\Vitnesscs:

Lunatics E. Gunner, A. \Vnns'rmc. 

